The Vestals
by camillexelisabeth
Summary: Long ago, in the era of Rome, there was a cult devoted to Hestia. This cult, based on purity, faded with the dying Empire. The Vestals have all but disapeared. Is there no one left to kindle the hearth?


_A/N:_ This is going to be a mini series, maybe only three or four chapters long. Oh, and just as a heads up, I really love double names. And I especially love old fashion double names. You've been warned. Enjoy.

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The Vestals

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Rome was the greatest empire ever built. No society ever rose to the level that Rome gained. No society ever will.

Rome may have conquered the world, but Greece explained why there was a world to be conquered. All of the Roman deities were taken from Greece, given new names, and glorified all over again.

There was a cult in ancient Rome, consisting only of maidens. The Vestal Virgins were devoted the Vesta, the Roman goddess of the hearth. The Greeks had called her Hestia, the first born of the Kronos and Rhea.

The Vestal Virgins devoted their lives to keeping the embers of the hearth alive; not once was the flame allowed to die. The hearth was an important symbol in the ancient world. Even the hearth of simple peasents were sacred.

These maidens were to remain virgins all their lives. If they ever strayed from their vows, they were buried alive. Not once were they to ever break this vow. It was of utmost importance that the girls were pure.

Purity is a hard thing to come by these days. You look around and see humans hurting one another, and see the violence in the world, and one has to wonder what has happened. Where have the Vestal Virgins of the world gone? Is there no one left to kindle the hearth?

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I tried to stay out of the way, I really did. But Capture the Flag is difficult when fighting isn't your cup of tea.

You see, Betty Rose and I were attempting to stay out of the battle by hanging out behind Zeus's Fist. But of course, luck was not on our side. A group of about five buff kids in blood red armor stood hovering above us.

"The flag is that way," I lied, pointing towards the creek.

One of the kids laughed hoarsly. "We've already got border patrol on that. We just thought it'd be funny to rough up a few wimps," he growled.

Betty Rose huffed indignantly. "We are *not* wimps!" She stood up swiftly and placed her hands on her hips.

The group laughed loudly and I pulled her back. "I really don't think fighting is the answer, guys. Can't you just go rough up some more Hermes kids? Betty Rose and I were just leaving," I said hopefully.

The tallest boy snorted. "Kid, you're hysterical. There's two of you, and five of us. However, there are fifteen Hermes campers right now, so why waste our energy on them?" He said it so calmly that it almost sounded rational.

I nudged Betty Rose softly and took off running. Betty Rose wasn't far behind. I heard the entire Ares cabin thundering behind us, but we were smaller, quicker.

We almost made it. I could taste the ocean when I felt an arm grab me. I shrieked and fell over my own feet. I rolled over and lifted my hands to cover my face defensively.

It was about the worst beating of my life. Not that I've ever really been beaten before; I had a pretty easy childhood.

Betty Rose didn't fare much better. We sat in the infirmary for half an hour locating all our bruises and cuts.

It was torture, really. Demigods are supposed to be good fighters, able to think on their feet. I don't know about Betty Rose, but I can't fight to save my life.

"Anne Keith?" Betty Rose called from across our shared cabin.

I looked up from my ice pack and smiled at her, though it hurt. "Yeah?"

"We suck at being demigods," she said quietly.

I bit my lip, which was a mistake because a nasty cut reopened. "Don't say that. I mean, our dads are minor gods, so it's not like we're going to be like Percy or anything. But we're still powerful in our own way," I said encouragingly.

"Oh yeah, because being an all powerful daughter of Bythos, I get all the perks. Such as being the Ares cabin's punching bag," she snapped.

I set my ice pack down and limped over to her bed. "Look, Betty Rose, I'm not all too happy with being a daughter of Aphros. I can make shapes out of sea foam, big whoop. Bythos is the god of the depths. That's mysterious and beautiful," I said quietly, trying to calm her down.

Betty Rose sighed. "Anne Keith, how do you stay so optimistic? We don't even have our own cabins! We aren't important to this camp," she mumbled.

That hurt me a lot more than it should have. One of my many problems is the fact that I'm completely ruled by my emotions. I took a deep breath to prevent the tears that had already formed from falling. "If we had our own cabins, we wouldn't know each other," I whispered.

Betty Rose suddenly realized her mistake. "Anne Keith, that's not what I―"

"Betty Rose, just forget it, okay? I'm already over it," I said, forcing a smile onto my lips.

Betty Rose was good at forgetting.

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Names are funny things, you know. I mean, no one names their kid Betty Rose or Anne Keith anymore. Appearences are even funnier. When I look at someone, the first thing I notice is their stance. Weird, huh? Most people would say eyes, but not me.

Betty Rose is one of those people that you look at and think *Why can't I look like that?* Then you see her mother and know exactly why you can't look like her. Betty Rose's mother is gorgeous. They both have thick jet black hair and bronze skin. Betty Rose is Cherokee Indian and she wears traditional beads all the time. Whereas her mom has chocolate brown eyes, Betty Rose has deep blue eyes. She's tall and lean, all muscle.

Here's the awkward part: describing myself. I'm average height, I guess. I'm not skinny per say, but I'm not fat. I have sandy blonde hair and fair skin. My hair is wavy and piecey, and Betty Rose tells me I look like a surfer all the time. My eyes are pretty cool, I have to admit. My dad is the god of sea foam, so my eyes are green. Sea foam green, to put it in cliche terms.

But enough about me. I suppose I should tell you more about how my friendship with Betty Rose came to be.

We both got to camp the summer after the Second Titan War, along with a huge wave of new campers. We got stuffed into the Hermes cabin together, but we never bothered to talk to each other. Then, as luck would have it, we were both claimed during an arts and crafts class. Oh, the excitement.

Aphros and Bythos are brothers. Aphros is the god of sea foam, and Bythos is the god of the depths. Since our fathers are brothers, Chiron figured we could just share a cabin. To me, it worked out just fine. I didn't have to be in a cabin by myself, and I got a best friend.

Betty Rose wasn't as excited at first. This is our second year at camp, and she's never really been happy here. I don't see why not; I think this place is the bomb.

I guess Betty Rose and I are just two very different people.

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I don't gravitate towards the ocean. I don't spend all my free time staring at it thinking cliche thoughts about my father. The ocean is just kind of there. I mean, yeah, it's great and all and it's pretty, but I don't have an overwhelming desire to be near it.

I spent a lot of time at camp drawing. I painted watercolor back home, but I never brought any of my supplies to camp. I'm not that great to be honest, but it passes the time. I just like the feel of a paint brush in my hands.

Betty Rose was a dancer. She was classically trained in ballet for ten years, and her mother teaches ballet as well. She's talented, but she doesn't want to go much farther with it. Betty Rose was the type of person who got bored far too easily.

Camp life was amazing for me. I didn't have many friends, but I sure loved being there. I honestly didn't know anyone who didn't. Betty Rose hated the fact that we were underestimated, but she didn't hate camp.

I wish I had known what was coming. I would have made sure _everyone_ knew how much I loved camp. I would have made clear that I wasn't antisocial, I was just shy. I would have spoken to Chiron and told him exactly why I didn't talk to people. But I didn't.

I paid for that.

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A/N:

How do you like it?

I seriously love the names Anne Keith and Betty Rose. I know they're kind of old fashioned, but I have two aunts named Anne Keith and Betty Rose, so names like that do exist.

Has anyone else ever heard of the Vestal Virgins? I learned about them in Latin I and totally forgot about them. I don't remember exactly when this idea popped into my head, but it stuck with me.

Alrighty, review and tell me how you like the idea. Gratzi(:

_**ψcamille elisabethψ**_


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